Members of the Sitraibana Union had planned a strike for April 30, but it was cancelled. On April 29, with the mediation of the Panamanian Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the Union of Workers of the Agricultural Banana Industry and Related Companies (Sitraibana) and Chiquita Panama concluded, effectively.

The new collective agreement will take effect on July 1, 2024, and remain in force for four years. The Minister of Labor, Doris Zapata Acevedo, stated that this agreement guarantees workers' rights, contributing to social peace in the province of Bocas del Toro and thus to the sustainability of this economic activity in the country. "I believe that for the activity to become sustainable, there must be an effort on both sides, and this collective agreement ratifies that effort," said Zapata Acevedo.

Francisco Smith, General Secretary of Sitraibana, informed that the new agreement will directly benefit more than 5,000 company workers. The agreements range from salary adjustments for those who work in the agricultural area and for the packers to the recognition of a social clause with incentives for the 800 female employees of the company.

The representative of Chiquita Panama, Ramón Isaac Macías, thanked Mitradel for its support during the nine months of negotiation and said that this achievement is significant for the company, as bananas have been Panama's number one export activity for decades, and it is expected to remain so for many more years. Therefore, he urged the workers to continue operating harmoniously and productively in the province.